Modern Squash by Christoph Niemann (And The Originals On Which they Were Based)

Here's a little eye candy...er, vegetable, for you. I came across this fun image created by illustrator Christoph Niemann for the New York Times and wanted to share it with you, along with the originals that it represents.

The image features mid century modern furniture classics, architecture - even a famous architect in his iconic eyewear - by well known designers crafted from squash and gourds.

In case you are unfamiliar with the originals that inspired them, I have culled them for you here.

1. Hang-it-All by Charles and Ray Eames, 1953


2. PH 4/3 Lamp by Poul Hennigsen, 1966


3. TWA Terminal in New York by Eero Saarinen, 1962


4. Philip Johnson (1906-2005)

above portrait by Luca Vignelli

5. La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948


6. The Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen, 1958


7. The Swan Chair by Arne Jacobsen, 1958



Christoph is best known for his work for the New Yorker Magazine. You can see more of his wonderful work at his website here.

An Update On The Barceloneta - The Modern, Indoor/Outdoor Version of The Classic Barcelona Chair.

When it was first announced that Serralunga was offering an outdoor/indoor version of the classic and elegant Barcelona Chair that was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll® in 1929, I brought you the news with computer generated images of prototypes and the then four colors in which it was to be available (shown below).



Since then, Serralunga has produced the lightweight and weatherproof chair (which was designed for them by Italy's Deep Design) and I have actual photography, the technical specs and the five colors in which it is now available.












A beautiful modern, lightweight indoor/outdoor chair option for lovers of modern classic design.

Serralunga

Classic Chairs As Alphabet. Tim Fishlock's Limited Edition Typeseat Screen Print and Chair Alphabet Prints From Blue Ant Studio.

I love chairs. And typography, So both Tim Fishlock's and Blue Ant Studio's beautiful prints are right up my alley/in my wheelhouse/my cup of tea... you get the picture.

Typeseat by Tim Fishlock
 First, Fishlock's Typeseat is a limited edition screenprint featuring classic chairs as the letters of the alphabet.



Here Tim explains some background to the edition:
“A lot of my work explores symbols and the idea of pictorial shorthand. I’m fascinated by the alphabet, how most of the letters began as pictures, icons from another era. Social and cultural change and aesthetic trends have been reflected in the Roman alphabet as it’s been refined over the centuries. Few objects reflect this cultural change as distinctly as the chair. An Eames lounger or a Panton chair are effective shorthand for the aesthetic trends of the day.

Typeseat is my attempt at creating a pictorial alphabet made up of some of the most iconic chairs of the twentieth century.”

details:




Sold out on his own website, the screen print is now being offered from twentytwentyone

A limited edition of 300 prints available.
Dimensions: 
50 x 70cm
£48.00
buy it here

Alphabet & Chair Posters from Blue Ant Studio.



I'd be remiss to speak of a poster about classic modern chairs and the alphabet without mentioning Blue Ant Studio and their wonderful selection of prints. Here are three that incorporate classic modern chairs (and are very affordable):

Alphabet Orangina (detail):


The Alphabet of Design Classics (detail):


And Eye Exam, an eye chart made of of modern classic chairs:


Above are just three of their beautiful prints, shop for these and more at Blue Ant Studio.

Ethnos Eames Chairs, Ornate Versions of the LCW in Bronze and Aluminum

Designer Paolo Giordano of Italy created limited editions of these stunning ornate cast bronze and aluminum versions of the mid-century modern classic LCW chairs as an homage to Ray & Charles Eames. The chairs have identical silhouettes to the original wood chairs but are intricately engraved bronze and aluminum versions.

Close-up look:

"The application of ethnic Indian decoration to modern design icons is at first sight provocative. It is the layering of ornamentation on pieces that originated precisely in the refusal of decoration; the uniting of thought and ideas that were historical opposites.

I believe, however, that these objects acquire a new identity as distinctive yet indefinable hybrids, somehow so coherent they make us forget the reasons of the separate initial gestures.

An example of how visual language leads its own spirited life." -- Paolo Giordano

cast aluminium chair
limited edition, 20 + 1 AP
68 x 56 x 61cm
Price £9,773.00
Buy it here



cast bronze chair
limited edition, 7 + 1 AP
68 x 56 x 61cm
Price £18,108.00
buy it here




Made in Italy for I and I
info@i-and-i.it

About designer Paolo Giordano:
Born in Naples 1954, he studied architecture at Milan Politecnico and graduated in 1978. He now lives and works in Milan.

In 1996, Paolo founded the I+I company, with the idea of producing a contemporary design collection for the home with products made by hand from different continents. Since then he continues to direct the I+I company from both a creative and commercial point of view. He also collaborates as an artistic consultant for Italian furniture companies (textile and accessories) and has participated in numerous international exhibitions.

Prouvé RAW. G-Star Reinterprets 17 Classic Pieces by Jean Prouvé for Vitra.

Prouvé RAW presents a collection of Jean Prouvé furniture classics – newly interpreted by denim specialist G-Star and Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra in collaboration with the Prouvé family. The collection of seventeen design classics embrace the essence of Jean Prouvé’s work, while at the same time adding contemporary colours, textiles and details.

















Born out of a mutual passion for this French Modernist's iconic designs, the G-Star and Vitra creative teams have worked for two years to give some of Jean Prouvé‘s best known designs a fresh and contemporary look and feel, while re-discovering the charm of some of his lesser known pieces.


above: designer Jean Prouvé (1901-1984)

Of the seventeen designs featured in the exhibition, nine will be available from fall 2011 in a Special Edition at select Vitra retailers around the world. The products of the Prouvé RAW Special Edition are numbered and feature a Prouvé RAW label. The Prouvé RAW Special Edition will be on display in a Pop-Up Shop at the Vitra Showroom in New York on 29 Ninth Avenue from September 14-26.

You can see some of Jean Prouvé's original product designs here.


Presentation of all 17 designs:


From the 15th of June through the 14th of August, the Fire Station by Zaha Hadid on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein will be exhibiting furniture designs by the legendary French designer and architect Jean Prouvé, which were reinterpreted in cooperation with G-Star. This is the only exhibition to feature all 17 designs of the "Jean Prouvé by G-Star RAW for Vitra" collection.

Vitra Campus
Charles-Eames-Str. 2
D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Tel.: +49 (0)7621 702 3500
vitrahaus@vitra.com